Some Interesting Food Facts

Kellogg’s® Nutri-Grain®Cereal Bars Strawberry: Red #40

Read any of the news stories linking hyperactivity in children to food dyes and you start to get really scared about Red #40. Why so hostile, Red #40? Turns out that Red #40 is the most used dye, in terms of pounds consumed. It is approved for use in beverages, baked goods, candies, cereals, drugs, and cosmetics. The disturbing fact is that the dye has been shown to cause cancer in lab tests on mice, according to a report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Doritos Cheese Supreme: Corn Syrup Solids

Weirdly, this favorite cheesy snack contains four different sweeteners, including corn syrup solids. Basically dried and powdered corn syrup, this ingredient can actually give snackers the urge to consume even more sugar. The chemical that tells your body you’re full is disrupted by eating these sweet ingredients, leading to overeating. The nutrition label lists one gram of sugar per serving, which is only 11 chips. Do you know anyone who only eats 11 Doritos in a sitting? Exactly.

Orbit Gum: Phenylalanine

If you’ve ever seen a warning on a pack of gum and wondered, “What the…?”, you’re not alone. Phenylalanine is an ingredient in many artificial sweeteners, including Equal and NutraSweet. In rare cases, including people with the genetic metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU), phenylalanine can be a serious concern.

According to LiveStrong.com, phenylalanine is found in more than 6,000 products in the form of aspartame, including cough drops, soft drinks, gelatin, yogurt, and most notably, Diet Coke.